Let’s keep the Olympic theme going this week with four queer-inclusive middle grade books about Winter Olympic sports (even if not all of the protagonists are quite at Olympic level yet).
Click titles or images for full reviews.
Kid Olympians: Winter: True Tales of Childhood from Champions and Game Changers, by Robin Stevenson, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld (Quirk Books), is a queer-inclusive but not exclusive title that offers eight- to 10-page profiles of 18 featured athletes (plus a few one-page looks at some additional figures), with an emphasis on how their childhoods shaped them. Queer athletes are featured both in and beyond a section on “Olympic Pride.” Stevenson’s prose is as clear and engaging as always, creating lively and engaging portraits rather than dry biographical sketches, while Steinfeld’s illustrations bring a cartoon-y charm to the subjects’ lives on and off the rinks and slopes. (Click through to my full review for an interior image of Canadian Olympic Women’s Hockey Team teammates and spouses Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey.)
Bea Mullins Takes a Shot, by Emily Deibert (Random House), just might be the first middle grade book to include a PWHL game, and is certainly the first queer-inclusive one. When 12-year-old Bea signs up for a recreational hockey league at the urging of her friend Celia, she’s initially hesitant about her skills—but finds a growing confidence under the guidance of team captain Gabi. Her closeness with Gabi develops into a crush, and this causes a strain on her friendship with Celia, not because of homophobia (Celia has two moms), but because Celia just thinks Bea has no time for her. But when funding cuts threaten the team (and Deibert shows how this relates to gender inequities in sports), the girls must figure out how to work together on a plan that will attract more fans and more money. If you’re an adult who loves Heated Rivalry, recommend this one to the young people in your life; there’s much less heat, making it age-appropriate, but still the sweet warmth of friendships and a first crush.
In Ana on the Edge, by A. J. Sass (Little, Brown), 12-year-old Ana-Marie Jin is hot off a first-place finish at the U.S. Juvenile figure skating championship. When the announcement is made that next season’s program will be princess themed, however, Ana isn’t sure how to handle it, not being a frilly-dress kind of skater. Additionally, the fees for training are high, putting a burden on Ana’s single mom. After meeting rink newcomer Hayden, a transgender boy, however, Ana begins to reevaluate her own gender identity. But what will being nonbinary mean in a highly gendered sport like figure skating? And will Ana’s drive for success alienate her best friend? (Note: I use “she/her” because Ana decides to stick with those pronouns, at least when the book ends.)
Skating on Mars, by Caroline Huntoon (Feiwel & Friends), also stars a nonbinary figure skater, but is a very different tale. In Ana on the Edge, Ana hasn’t even thought about the idea of being nonbinary when that story starts, whereas Mars knows who they are and is simply trying to figure out what it means for them. The story starts as Mars is reaching the age where they must compete in a gendered division. Mars knows the feminine skating style expected of them doesn’t really fit and wants to find a way to just be themselves. A challenge from a boy skater leads Mars to enter a competition as a boy, to see what that feels like. When skating officials discover that Mars entered the competition under (as they see it) false pretenses, there is an uproar. Mars, along with a new crush and a friend, come up with a plan to create a more inclusive skating competition. Can they manage the logistics? And will anyone show up?
Finally, one bonus title that isn’t winter specific but deserves a mention in any roundup of queer middle grade sports books: Athlete Is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ People in Sports, ed. Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby, illustrated by Jess Vosseteig (Christy Ottaviano) is a varied anthology that brings together insights and inspiration from, for, and about athletes of many LGBTQ identities, sports, and levels of sports involvement. The book includes athletes doing sports for all seasons, but a few people doing winter sports are among them, including Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon. It’s a terrific volume for any LGBTQ athlete, fan, or ally.